Colorado State deals with drop in production

Rams have 13 dropped passes in two games

By Mike Brohard Sports Editor

Posted:
09/10/2013 09:29:15 PM MDT

Colorado State receiver Rashard Higgins moves past Colorado's Jered Bell during their game Sept. 1. Higgins is tied for the team lead with seven receptions, but he's also been part of the team's 13 dropped passes in the first two games.
(Lilia Munoz)

FORT COLLINS -- At his Monday press conference, Jim McElwain was serious when he talked about the progress he's seen as his team has started 0-2.

Tuesday, he was joking about the progress his team has made in one glaring issue -- dropped passes.

There were seven counted by coaches against Colorado, six more in the loss to Tulsa last week.

"And at the same time, I guess you could say that's progress," said the Colorado State football coach with a bit of a chuckle, then quickly added, "but it's still not good enough."

Not by anybody's standards. So after Tuesday's practice, quarterbacks Garrett Grayson and Conner Smith spent around 20 extra minutes working routes with receivers. In reality, it was a two-pronged extra-curricular activity.

Grayson is completing 50 percent of his passes. Add in those 13 drops and the numbers aren't as bad. But he also admits he's had just as many throws where the target was not acquired.

Grayson said he didn't eat from pregame until 7 p.m. the night after the game he was so upset, saying he doesn't think he's ever played this badly. While he's done everything in his power to avoid pointing a finger elsewhere, the side session was for everybody involved.

Another issue Tuesday was there were fewer bodies. Charles Lovett and Joe Hansley were out the first part of practice, but finished the day working with trainers. Jordon Vaden, who injured a quadriceps muscle against Tulsa, aggravated it at practice and missed the last half. That could bring true freshmen Sammie Long and Xavier Williams into the equation, McElwain said, instead of possibly having them redshirt this season.

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The drops have come from veterans like Thomas Coffman and Crockett Gillmore, as well as true freshman Rashard Higgins. Gillmore said he isn't worried about it, but Grayson wants to make sure Higgins isn't falling into self doubt.

"I mean, I think Rashard, he's just a young guy. If he drops a ball, he tends to get down on himself a little, and that will happen with any young guy," Grayson said. "It happened with me when I was young and I threw a bad ball. I was instantly in the tank. It just comes from us as the older guys, you've got to pick those guys up and drag them along with you. He's one of the best receivers we've got, and that's why he's starting as a true freshman. We want him out there to make plays, and we know what he can do."

It's a fundamental act of pitch-and-catch they've all been doing since they were kids, and fundamentals is what McElwain is aiming at in this instance.

"It's one of those deals where you don't say catch the ball, because they're trying to catch it. It's what can you do fundamentally to help you catch the ball. In the case of a couple of the high balls, it's a matter of taking your eyes with your hands and not dropping your eyes while the ball is above your head. We work those drills all the time on the Jugs, and we do a high-ball drill as well.

"It's something that has to become second nature. And when you look at it, there's times we're trying to move before we get it secured."

Focus, timing, chemistry, Coffman says it all comes into play, but he admits it is frustrating when something so common in practice becomes an issue on game days.

"I think everything plays into it, all those things," the junior said. "We have to stay focused on the positive things and stay focused on making big plays, making big catches, obviously catching the ball first. Those are things that we have to do day in and day out in practice."